HIGHLIGHTS

Ashwin became the second fastest bowler to pick up 200 wickets in Tests

Kapil has 434 Test wickets while Kumble has managed to get 619 scalps

Ashwin took 37 matches to achieve the milestone

R Ashwin during the first Test against New Zealand at Kanpur (Reuters Photo)

HIGHLIGHTS

Ashwin became the second fastest bowler to pick up 200 wickets in Tests

Kapil has 434 Test wickets while Kumble has managed to get 619 scalps

Ashwin took 37 matches to achieve the milestone

R Ashwin became the fastest Indian bowler to claim 200 Test wickets and the 2nd fastest in Test history to do so after Aussie leg spinner C Grimmett who retired in 1936. Now the off-spinner has got the vote of confidence from legendary Indian captain Sourav Ganguly to end up alongside Anil Kumble & Kapil Dev as one of India's all-time greats.

Sourav Ganguly told India Today, "He has got all the potential to be right up there (with Kapil & Kumble). He is young, he has got lot of cricket left as he has played just 37 Test matches and he has got all the potential to get maybe 400 or 500 wickets for India. He will play half of those Test matches in India, there are going to be pitches which turn and he is going to be lethal. So yes he has got all the opportunity and the talent to get there."

Ashwin bagged 3 wickets in New Zealand's second innings to reach the 200 wicket milestone & put Team India in the driver's seat to win the historic 500th Test match. Speaking after the day's play Ashwin said that he has been enjoying bowling since the end of Australia series early last year. Incidentally that was the time Virat Kohli took over the reins of Indian Test cricket from MS Dhoni. (Also read: Ravichandran Ashwin breaks Waqar Younis' record, becomes second fastest to take 200 Test wickets)

"I'd say the last 80 to 100 wickets have been very good for me. Ever since I came back from Australia last year and went to Bangladesh I think that is when I really started to enjoy my bowling & knew what I was doing very clearly. I started planning my dismissals, I knew exactly how to set the batsmen up. It has been a wonderful journey over the last couple of years and I just hope it keeps going for some time", said the India spinner.

Team India coach Anil Kumble reached the 200 wicket mark in 10 Tests more than Ashwin but with 619 wickets to his name, Kumble is by far India's leading wicket taker.

"It is a little too early to compare Ashwin with the likes of Harbhajan Singh & Anil Kumble. At the end of the day Harbhajan Singh is a proven match winner and Anil Kumble has been absolutely fantastic and I am glad Ashwin has been able to move into those sorts of shoes because you need a match winner when you are playing Test cricket at home and you need an out-and-out frontline match winner. If the wicket was like this you could bet that Harbhajan or Anil Kumble, either one would take a 5-for and Ashwin has also been doing that. So it is a good sign for Indian cricket as there is no vacuum", said former India spinner Nikhil Chopra to India Today. (Also read: Exclusive: Sourav Ganguly backs Ravichandran Ashwin to take 400-500 Test wickets)

Ashwin has been performing not only with the ball but also with the bat. He has got 4 Test tons to his name and has 6 man-of-the-series awards which is the most for any Indian in Test history to emerge as one of India's best all-rounders since Kapil Dev. After 37 Tests in his career Kapil had picked fewer wickets and scored fewer runs than what Ashwin has at this stage.

"I hope for the sake of Indian cricket that Ashwin can go out and contribute the way Kapil Dev has. Then you are looking at a very bright future for Indian cricket because Kapil Dev has been legendary. I don't like comparing people but if Ashwin is on the same sort of path I think team India will do exceptionally well because Kapil Dev has been absolutely exceptional in terms of contributions towards Indian cricket. Ashwin is without a doubt India's biggest match winner at this moment in time. But in sport, and specially with Ashwin at this point in time, the expectations go high and to keep performing to those expectations is the biggest challenge", said Nikhil. (Also read: Kanpur Test: 'Greedy' Ravichandran Ashwin wants to achieve more)

For now though, Ashwin has the Indian record to his name and has set up the match beautifully to finish the job on Day 5 and lead India to victory in this historic 500th Test.

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